Fitting In
by swordsandstories
Summary: After being stranded with Rose on Bad Wolf Bay, the Tenth Doctor's Duplicate needs to learn to fit in. Even though Rose has him set up with a good job, Tentoo still manages to mess things up. Now he's worried about what's going to happen when Rose finds out about it. The story is a lot lighter than the summary makes it sound, I promise. *SMALL SPOILERS FOR JOURNEY'S END* One-shot.


**Hello again, you lovely people!**

**Wow, I have been uploading a lot of fics recently. I guess my urge to write is really going crazy. What seems to slow me down are the multi-chapter stories. Maybe I should avoid those for now and just keep writing Oneshots. I'm not sure, I haven't fully decided yet. :) Oneshots help because it allows me to change topics quickly, and I get a lot of different ideas in my head. So I'll just focus on short stories for now and maybe one day I'll get the nerve to start posting a multi-chapter story. One day. **

**On to the story! I don't care much for the way it starts off. I'm not very good at writing flashbacks or whatever. I really like the ending though, so I hope you do too!**

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John Smith sat on his bed, head held in his hands with frustration. He had screwed up - again. Ever since the other Doctor, the one who could still travel through time and space, had left him stranded on Pete's world, he had been having a hard time with adjusting.

Back when he was still a Time Lord, he had mentioned several times that didn't do domestic. He had never really meant it because he never thought that he'd be forced to _do_ domestic. Having to get a job, live a normal life, and become a socially acceptable person was harder than he had anticipated. He had never wanted a completely normal life, and now he was forced to accept that he was going have to live one out. That meant he had to let go of his life as a Time Traveler. That meant he wouldn't ever set foot on an alien planet again. That meant he had to give up every beautiful star, planet, and galaxy that he had never seen. He would never see with his own eyes the history behind each and every planet. He would never meet any more of those wonderful people that inhabited the universe. There was so many people he wanted to meet, so many places he wanted to go to.

900 years of time and space and he he still hadn't seen everything. And anything less than that wasn't enough for him.

But Rose was worth it. He would still do anything for her, even though that meant getting a job and paying rent. He loved her, and that was enough of a reason for him to give up the stars.

Of course, Rose still had issues accepting him. It made him feel better when she called him Doctor, but he could see the pain in her eyes as she said the name. Those were the times he had to remind himself, "You're not the only person who lost the universe." No matter how many stories he told her of his life before he met her or how many times they discussed their old adventures, she still couldn't handle that THE Doctor had left her. Again. Except this time he had dumped her with the TimeLord/Human Metacrisis Doctor, and he knew Rose wasn't sure how to handle him.

Or course, the Metacrisis Doctor didn't mind. Being trapped with Rose was a blessing for him. He just wished it didn't hurt her so much.

They'd talked about the day on the beach once or twice; that was one of the nice things about being human. The new Doctor had no issue explaining his feelings because he had nothing to hold him back anymore. He was going to grow old and die in the end, but he was planning on doing so with Rose. And now all he wanted to do was tell her exactly just how strong his feelings were for her. The only problem  
was that he couldn't tell whether or not Rose wanted to hear those words from him.

He could see the way she flinched slightly when he said, "I love you." He could see the pain and hurt in her eyes as she looked at him. The Doctor knew what she saw - she saw a man who she fell in love with but didn't. She saw a man who couldn't offer her the stars. She saw a man who reminded her of a lost love. He wasn't the same.

It didn't matter that the human Doctor had all 906 years of those Time Lord Memories at his disposal.

It didn't matter that he felt the same way about Rose as the 'real' Doctor did.

It didn't matter that he loved her with ever single cell in his half human body.

It didn't matter that he could offer her everything that the Time Lord couldn't.

It didn't matter that he was more open, that he could answer every one of her questions as sincerely as possible.

It didn't matter because Rose Tyler had loved another man, and she got stuck with his clone.

And she still wasn't sure if she loved him the same way she loved _him_.

What made John feel worse about his situation was that his personality had changed due to the Metacrisis. His charm and wit were combined with just that little bit of Donna Noble sass, and he had to focus more on not using those comebacks. He had hurt Rose's feelings twice now because of it.

Twice now, instead of telling her how he really felt, he had tried to hide behind words and an unresponsive face. Old habits die hard.

"I'm done with hiding, Doctor! You hid you're emotions from me on the Tardis, and I don't need you to hide from me now! I'm tired of the secrets! I'm tired of the lies to 'protect me!' If I'm going to live my life with you, I need to know how you feel!" Rose's face was flushed with anger, and her hair was ruffled from where she had grabbed her head in frustration.

"You want to know how I feel?" John asked. It had never occurred to him that she could help with his emotions. Now he felt stupid. Rose helped him with everything, from cheering him up to helping him fit in to simply being someone he could talk to. She was someone he could _really_ talk to; about everything and nothing at the same time. And the fact that she had called him 'Doctor' made him want to beam at Rose despite the anger expressed on his hidden feelings. "You really want to know?" He repeated, taking a step closer to her.

"Of course I want t' know, you idiot!" Rose snapped back.

John stood there, hand in his suit pockets. He offered her the most sincere smile he could and reached over to hold her hand. His fingers threaded through hers perfectly. Like they were made for eachother. "Rose Tyler. If you want to know how I feel, then fine." He could see in her eyes that she was slightly shocked. The old him never talked about feelings. John took in a deep breath, and stared directly into her eyes.

"I love you more than the whole of time and space."

He pulled her in for a kiss; their first kiss since Bad Wolf Bay. That had been two weeks ago.

Things had started looking better after that, but they started going downhill again as normal life started to leave an impression on John. It wasn't a very good impression either.

He still couldn't shake the events leading up to Bad Wolf Bay, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of his old life in the Tardis, which he missed horribly. No matter how brief he had actually been alive, it felt like he had been around for 906 years. And the time since John had actually been created leading up to Bad Wolf Bay was one of the best memories of both his and the real Doctor's life.

For a few shining moments, the Metacrisis Doctor had everything he could ever want. The Tardis had welcomed him despite the fact that he wasn't her Doctor. From the instant his hand regenerated into his half Time Lord body, the Tardis had melded her mind with his. The comforting feel of his sentient ship had made him grin upon awakening. She recognized him as both her Doctor and not her Doctor, yet she still loved him. On top of that, his family (Jack, Micky, Sarah Jane, Rose, the Time Lord Doctor, Martha, Donna, and yes, even Jackie) had been safe and happy inside the Tardis, laughing and hugging each other. It had made him feel like he belonged somewhere. He had saved the Earth as well as sixteen other planets from being destroyed. He had defeated the Daleks, which he had been longing to do since the Time War began. He had Rose back, though at that point he wasn't sure how she felt about him because they hadn't really talked. But he was happy, there on the Tardis. He had everything he could ever possibly want.

And then everything started to go wrong.

It started with the Time Lord Doctor taking his friends back home. He knew it would be a while before seeing them again (but he didn't know just how long at the time), and he still had the Time Lord Doctor's emotions. Both Doctors hated saying goodbye, especially to the people they loved. This case had been easier for their emotions because they parted on a happy note, but it was still sad to watch their friends walk out of those big blue doors.

Then there was the moment when only Rose, Donna, and the two Doctors were left on the Tardis. The Tardis had practically been humming with joy at her passengers. It made the Metacrisis Doctor happy that she was happy. However, the awkward silence between the other Doctor and Rose had made John Smith uncomfortable despite his joy. He knew what was going to happen, and they were next on the list of Companions to drop off.

He knew the Doctor couldn't leave the four of them together, happy to travel the stars together. He knew that the Doctor was going to send Rose back - again. John knew the Doctor's pain at being unable to love Rose properly. He knew the Doctor wanted Rose to be with him forever. Both the Doctors also knew that Rose couldn't stay.

So he left them. Left them on some beach in Norway to watch them share one kiss and then figure out the rest. No way to stay in touch, no way to travel the stars. A normal life with larger than normal problems.

John's thoughts were interrupted when he shifted on the bed, kicking his shoes off angrily. He could feel the tears started to come to his eyes and it made him angry that his human body was so emotional. He had been moody enough as a Time Lord, and he still wasn't used to one heart.

There was a knock on the door of his bedroom, and a soft voice called, "John?"

John wiped the tears off his face and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure what she wanted, but that didn't mean she had to walk in on him crying like a 200 year old. "Come in, Rose."

He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, ignoring the fact that his blue jeans and white shirt were covered in grease from his job as a mechanic. He was too angry to care about whether or not he got stains on his bed's comforter.

His bedroom door drifted open, and he could hear Rose move into the room. She walked across the room to sit on the bed next to him. He didn't move, and instead found an interesting spiral pattern on the carpet to study.

Gently, Rose put a hand on his left shoulder, and John let out a deep breath that he wasn't aware that he had been holding in.

"John, what's wrong?"

He sighed heavily, and looked up to meet Rose's eyes. They were filled with nothing but concern and... was that love? John couldn't tell.

"Nothing." John didn't feel like talking about his mood or anything that contributed to it. It was more than just a bad day, it was a build up of sadness and frustration that finally decided to rear it's ugly head.

"John, I know it's not nothing. I know your facial expressions better than the back of my hand." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned at him. He sighed, knowing he would never win this fight. Bracing himself for a verbal onslaught, he reluctantly replied.

"I - I got fired."

"From the shop?" Rosie's face was full of surprise. "But you're the best mechanic there! You fix everything three times as fast as the others."

He shrugged in reply and kept waiting for her to yell at him.

To his surprise, Rose grinned. "What did you do?" She asked in a teasing tone.

Her lack of anger startled him, and he offered a sheepish smile. "Well, the guys were talking about building a spaceship and - "

His words were cut off by Rose's giggle. "You didn't."

He grinned at her and started to relax. "I did." Rose uncrossed her arms to hold his hand, and it made him feel like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. With just a touch, Rose could make him feel like the world was going to be alright.

He found himself staring at her, and he could see a blush rise in her cheeks as she met his gaze. "Anyways," he cleared his throat, "I proved them wrong, but I had to dismantle three cars to do it. The boss came in and lectured me that i shouldn't be taking apart cars. And then I may or may not have laughed when I strapped him into the capsule and set it to launch."

Rose's mouth opened in shock, and the Doctor rushed to clarify. "It only went fifty feet in the air before the thrusters malfunctioned and I had to boost the transmission of the thermoregulator  
field in order to make the heat sensors deploy the parachute."

"You shoved your boss into a rocket."

"Yep!" He said, popping the 'p' and offering her a sad smile. "He's just lucky that the thrusters quit and he didn't end up on the moon."

"Do you blame him for firing you?"

"Not really. But I get four baskets of chips from the guys for proving them wrong."

Rose stuck her tongue out between her teeth in amusement. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and he smiled back.

"So you're not mad at me?" he asked hopefully.

"Why would I be mad at ya, John? It's not your fault that you're an insufferable genius!" Rose smiled playfully at him.

"You've just tried so hard to make it easy for me to fit in. You got me a job. You showed me how to drive a car which, mind you, is a lot harder than flying the Tardis. What kind of machine doesn't have temporal displacers? Really, it's dangerous! No wonder why most of these people fly around in blimps instead of driving!" He cut off for a moment when Rose gave him a pointed look. "Right. Rambling. Sorry." He reached behind his head with his free hand to ruffle his hair. "I just thought you'd be mad at me for being rubbish at this."

Rose turned to face him on the bed. Her voice became sincere, yet her eyes remained light. John took in a deep breath when it struck him again just how lucky he was to know Rose. She was loving, understanding, and caring. He could see it in her eyes everyday. "You're not rubbish at this, John. And it's not your fault that your boss is an arse, either. It's going to take a while for you to get used to this. Hell, you may never get used to it! I know I'm still adjusting and I was already stranded here once." He stiffed at the memory, but Rose started played with his fingers as she was talking, and he was determined to sit there and enjoy the feel of her hands on his.

"Look, John. I know I haven't been very easy on you this past month-" Really? He thought Rose was doing a marvelous job of showing him Pete's world. Apparantly, Rose could read the shock on his face, and she let out a quiet chuckle.

"I don't mean the getting you to fit in part. I mean the emotional part. I've been shutting you out because I miss him." John flinched at her words. He didn't want to talk about _him_. As far as he was concerned, that Doctor had abandoned them when he didn't have to.

Rose noticed his cringe and frowned slightly. She flipped his hand over to trace circles on his palm. "The thing is, I've finally realized that he never could be with me. And here you are, like him, but different."

"Good different or bad different?" he said, echoing words from their past.

"Just... different." She quoted with a smile.

"Am I... ginger?" He finished with a small small.

"Actually... yeah," she said with a small smile and reached up to touch his hair. The Metacrisis had made his chocolate brown hair change so that it had Donna Noble-colored flecks of ginger in it.

He smiled awkwardly at her, hoping she would return to what she was saying. He hadn't meant to change the topic when the entire conversation had been looking so promising for him.

"You're better," Rose continued, still tracing those circles on his hand. He smiled weakly at her, unsure where she was going with the conversation. "Doctor - what I'm trying to say is-" She broke off for a few seconds. John found himself leaning forward in anticipation.

She had called him Doctor.

"I want to try again. With you. You're everything I wanted in him and everything he wasn't."

"Rose- I-" he paused, and frowned at himself in frustration. "You know, for such a big mouth I have a major problem with words."

Rose giggled a little bit, and kept doodling on his hand. She looked up and met his eyes, urging him to notice something.

The Doctor frowned, and automatically started analyzing the situation with his Time Lord brain. No aliens in the room. Well, besides half of him One window opened to let in the breeze. Papers on desk fluttering but not blowing away. The two of them, facing each other on the bed. Himself, grease-stained, silent, hopeful. Rose... beautiful as ever, two strands of blonde hair covering her eyes, tracing circular patterns on his palm.

The Doctor looked down at his hand, and stared in utter disbelief. Rose was doodling Gallifreyan on his hand, the same words over and over again.

_I love you._

He stared for a little while, and bit his lip in amazement. He looked up at Rose, daring to meet her eyes. He saw only love in them; a deep love that made his stomach flip and his heart flutter erratically. It made his breath hitch in his throat and it urged him to show her, to prove to her, that he felt the same way. The exact same way.

He leaned forward and planted a soft, sweet kiss on her lips.

They broke away from each other reluctantly. Their hands had only broken apart to wrap around the other's body in a tight hug. He leaned his forehead against Rose's and grinned, shutting his eyes in happiness. Her arms were warm against his back, and he could smell the sweet scent of strawberries emanating from her hair.

"Thank you, Rose." He ran through the list in his mind. Thank you for forgiving. For helping. For caring. For listening. For smiling. For loving. The list seemed endless, and he knew there would never be a way to fully show his gratitude. But he could sure as hell try.

"I love you, Doctor."

He grinned when she said called him Doctor instead of John. He never liked that name anyways.

"I love you more, Rose. Always have, always will."

"Forever," she promised.

"Forever," he agreed.

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**Please, leave a review! It only takes a few seconds to tell me what you think. :) **

**One of my reviewers pointed out the fact that Rose knew Gallifreyan. (Thanks again, LostInWho) Sorry I didn't explain!I did have a reasoning behind it though! I figured that when Rose looked into the Heart of the Tardis, she would have some hidden, long term effects. I figured, hey! Why not? Let's allow Rose to know a few words in Gallifreyan! And boom, we have one of the scenes in this fic. :) Hope that clears it up for you** **guys.  
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**Just as a side note, I wanted to say something. :) For those of you who have read and and left my review on my other stories, _THANK YOU_. You don't understand how happy it makes me when you tell me what you thought about my writing. Especially when you leave me tips and advice! If I don't send a PM to you about your review, I'm sorry. I try to message you my thanks personally but sometimes I'm a bit late in responding. I read all of your reviews, though. :) I love you guys who review the most! *hint hint* ;)**

**Have a great day everyone!  
**


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